Opposition Socialists: Fidesz waging austerity

The opposition Socialist Party has accused Fidesz of waging an austerity programme by abolishing the preferential tax in several instances and scrapping employee benefits such as the so-called cafeteria system.

The Socialists will propose a tax amendment in parliament’s legislative committee on Thursday in favour of retaining the employee benefits that cover meal vouchers, lease subsidies, school start-up support, health and pension insurance, in their current form, Bertalan Tóth, the party’s leader, told a press conference on Wednesday.

Hungarian families, he added, would suffer to the tune of tens of thousands of forints if the benefits are scrapped.

Tóth said the head of the Trade Union Confederation (MASZSZ) agreed with the party’s stance on the current cafeteria system.

Opposition politicians also cited press reports that the government wants to sack tens of thousands of civil servants, saying this was also part of government austerity measures.